Deadline for Democracy – Still (a little) time left!

Deadline: July 17 event, and continuing –

On July 7, 2021, Indivisible East Bay, Indivisible SF, and several other partners hosted a Deadline for Democracy Rally in Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza. Over 250 people gathered to demand the Senate to pass S. 1/the For The People Act. We need S1 to protect and ensure equal freedom to vote for all – and the Senate needs to abolish or reform the filibuster to make it happen. Our rally was part of a nationwide movement that included over 460 events across the country.

We welcomed people with music – wonderful to be together in person again! – and folks picked up signs. After a teach-in, our slate of speakers inspired the crowd: Aisha Wahab, Mayor Pro Tempore & Hayward City Council member; Elisha Crader from the Working Families Party; Bruce Hartford, 1960s Field Organizer for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Queen Jackson, grassroots leader with Community Change Action and MoveOn; Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland City Council Member-at-Large and Vice Mayor; and Janani Ramachandran, social justice lawyer and CA State Assembly candidate.

Volunteers took the stage to read headlines from two futures: a dark one in which the For the People Act fails, and a bright one in which it passes, ensuring the inclusive democracy we need. Musician and activist Alissa Friedman closed the event – you’ll remember her wonderful music from our Fall 2020 Get Out The Vote events. You can see photos of the rally by Pro Bono Photo photographers Bruce Lescher and Leon Kunstenaar.

As always, we took action! Rally-goers filled out postcards committing to phone-bank, write letters to the editor, and/or call their Senators, to help pass the For the People Act. Organizers mailed the postcards on Friday – if you filled one out, it should already be in your mailbox to remind you what you’ll do to fight for democracy! 

The rally’s over, but democracy reform work is ongoing. It’s up to the Senate to pass this bill – and it’s up to us to make them do it.

• Can you come to an in-person event? Join the Saturday, July 17 ”Good Trouble Candlelight Vigil for Democracy” on the first anniversary of Rep. John Lewis’ passing. People nationwide will demand Congress act to protect our freedom to vote and rebuild our democracy. 
• Help from home! Please keep up the pressure by calling Senators Feinstein and Padilla every day. Ask your family and friends to call their Senators, too – use these phone scripts tailored to individual Senators in 23 states! 

And more:

• Join Common Cause phone-banks to call voters in targeted states. We’re asking them to call their Senators to urge amending the filibuster, so we can pass the For the People Act
• Join a Common Cause For the People text bank
• Join these amazing phone-banks to West Virginia – patch West Virginians through to Senator Manchin’s office
• Write a letter to the editor about the For the People Act and the filibuster

Read our previous articles about the For the People Act:

• https://indivisibleeb.org/week-of-6-21-june-all-members-meeting-for-the-people-act/
• https://indivisibleeb.org/2021/06/10/for-the-people-ffs/
• https://indivisibleeb.org/2021/03/04/save-democracy-kill-the-filibuster/

 

Photo of Nancy Latham introducing the program by Bruce Lescher, ProBonoPhoto.org.  

Ann G. Daniels & Nancy Latham contributed to this article.

Ann G. Daniels’ checkered professional background includes practicing law, reproductive rights advocacy, creating web content for nonprofits and educational organizations, and teaching adult and family literacy. She also designs jewelry, teaches knitting, and sings second soprano.

Nancy Latham is on IEB’s Governance Committee. After having spent four long years resisting the t**** agenda, she is thrilled to be part of the movement to build an inclusive democracy. In her day job, she works with non-profits, foundations, and government agencies that support greater equity and justice through initiatives in youth development, education, housing, and community development.